DENVER- Today Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman announced that an El Paso County District Court Judge has granted the Attorney General’s motion for a preliminary injunction against defendants Western Barn Company, LLC, Quality Barn Builders, LLC, Daryl Bruce Jurgens, Ryan Jurgens, Birgit Jurgens and Cynthia Jurgens. The injunction prohibits the defendants from engaging in any contractor-type business, including commercial and residential construction.

The Attorney General’s lawsuit alleges that the defendants advertised pole barn construction on Craigslist, claiming that they were “licensed” contractors. Defendants took sizeable deposits from consumers, and then made partial deliveries of lumber to secure large second payments. After obtaining the second payments, the defendants simply walked away from the projects and were impossible to reach. The defendants allegedly took payments totaling $360,000 from twenty-three consumers in El Paso, Park, Elbert, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties who did not receive a completed pole barn. The defendants targeted rural Coloradans, many of whom needed pole barns to house their livestock and store agricultural machinery. The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants spent the consumers’ deposits on personal expenses such as restaurants, liquor stores, groceries, travel and towards larger dollar items such as jewelry, vehicles and boats.

“Contractors are required by law to keep consumers’ funds in trust for the completion of the project, and of course, to actually complete the project that customers have paid for,” said Attorney General Coffman. “These defendants allegedly defrauded rural Coloradans who needed pole barns for their agricultural businesses. Our office is committed to protecting farmers and ranchers from scams aimed at stealing their hard-earned money.”